The invention relates generally to a reversible, seamless article of clothing and a system for constructing reversible seamless garments and accessories. When this disclosure refers to ‘seams’, the disclosure is referring to sewn or stitched seams. More particularly, the invention relates to a reversible, seamless article of clothing and a system for constructing reversible seamless garments and accessories by assembling and attaching a plurality of reversible and interchangeable elements of the article of clothing with a plurality of button stud fasteners.
Basic garment construction is an ancient domestic skill passed from one generation to the next. Although today most people wear clothing that is massed produced in factories, many people enjoy wearing handmade clothing from cloth selected especially for them and constructed in an individualized style. Many parents, particularly mothers, teach their child the basics of clothing construction once the child is old enough to have the fine motor skills to handle a sharp needle and razor-edged scissors safely and effectively.
Young children enjoy making their own clothing choices. Being able to select what he or she will wear teaches a child decision-making skills as well as understanding what type of clothing is appropriate to wear in a particular situation. Children enjoy having reversible clothing, that is clothing that does not have a “wrong” side, but has two “right” face sides that can be worn with either side showing. Reversible clothing effortlessly doubles the options a child has in selecting what to wear. Young children can only select clothes from garments in their closet and cannot construct new clothes on their own because they do not have the necessary sewing and scissor skills to do so.
Basic garment construction consists of cutting and assembling different panels of cloth and attaching the panels to each other by sewing the edges of the panels together to form seams. Edges are sometimes left unattached to form a placket where the two panels of the garment are attached by fasteners such as buttons, snaps, zippers, hook and eye fasteners or hook and loop material and not by seams. Although there is not necessarily a seam to form the placket, sewing is required to attaching the various fasteners, such as buttons, zippers, hooks and so on.
Many have proposed different methods to provide variations to a basic article of clothing that do not require sewing. Several have proposed front panels that button to the front, top or bottom of a previously constructed sewn garment that has buttons aligned with the buttonholes of the panel, or snaps or hook and loop material that aligns with snaps or hook and loop material on the panel. The panels extend the length of the garment, adjust the size of the garment, add a feature such as a collar or cuffs or merely change the appearance. In one example, the panel is a bib that can be changed when soiled. In some examples, the panel or additional piece is reversible, with either side of the element appropriate for the outside of the garment.
All the examples are for adding additional elements to vary a basic garment or accessories without sewing. None provide a method for constructing a basic garment or accessory without sewing and none provide a method of fastening that does not require sewing or permanently affixing fasteners onto the basic garment.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.